Essay For Scholarship Consideration Deadline

If you’re a skilled writer, a few hundred (or even a thousand) words is no biggie.

Students that can easily express themselves through writing flock toward scholarships with interesting essays and the scholarships on this list are just that.

All of the below scholarships require an essay entry – some as short as only 250 words – with interesting essay topics that range from safe driving and technology to America heroes and animal activism.

To help better organize your scholarship and internship search, please note that the following scholarships for writers are listed according to deadline, with the earliest deadline appearing at the top of the page. Deadlines that vary will appear at the bottom of each list.

If you enjoy expressing your opinions through writing, the scholarships on this list await your entries.

Scholars Helping Collars

The Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship is open to current high school seniors. You must submit an essay of between 500 and 1000 words with two to three photos of your volunteer efforts to help animals in need and how that involvement has changed your lives or shaped your perceptions on the importance of animal welfare in order to be considered for this award.

Learn more about the Scholars Helping Collars.

Live Deliberately Essay Contest

The Live Deliberately Essay Contest is open to all students aged 14 – 21. You must submit an essay of no more than 750 words based on the prompts listed on the sponsor’s website. This year’s prompts will ask you to consider a time in your life when you pursued a path that was “narrow and crooked,” but felt like it was the right path for you. In what ways are/were you able to, as Thoreau advises, walk that path with “love and reverence?” How has navigating that path shaped you into the person you are becoming?

Learn more about the Live Deliberately Essay Contest .

AFSA High School Essay Contest

Deadline: 3/15/2018Available to: High School Freshmen through High School SeniorsAward Amount: $2,500

The AFSA High School Essay Contest is open to high school students. To be considered, in a 1,000 – to 1250 – word essay, you must identify two cases – one you deem successful and one you deem unsuccessful – where the U.S. pursued an integrated approach to build peace in a conflict – affected country.

Learn more about the AFSA High School Essay Contest .

Brighter Future Scholarship

The Brighter Future Scholarship is available to undergraduate, graduate or law students enrolled at an accredited college or university. You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and submit 500 word letter of intent that identifies a problem and explains how you intend to use your education as a way to begin solving that problem, thus creating a brighter future.

Learn more about the Brighter Future Scholarship.

NPG 2018 Scholarship Contest

Deadline: 4/20/2018Available to: High School Seniors through College JuniorsAward Amount: Awards from $750-$2,000

The NPG 2018 Essay Scholarship Contest is open to high school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors. You must submit an essay of between 500 and 750 words on one environmental issue from the sponsor’s chosen list and explain how it is made worse by population growth and describe what measures you would recommend our nation’s leaders take to ensure we protect our fragile environment for generations to come. You must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident to qualify for this award.

Learn more about the NPG 2018 Scholarship Contest.

E-Waste Scholarship

Deadline: 4/30/2018Available to: High School Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5Award Amount: $1,000

The E-waste Scholarship is available to high school, undergraduate or graduate students. You must submit a short statement that completes the sentence “The most important reason to care about e-waste is…” and be U.S. citizen or legal resident to qualify for this award.

Learn more about the E-Waste Scholarship.

Feldco Scholarship

Deadline: 6/15/2018Available to: College Freshmen through College SeniorsAward Amount: $1,000

The Feldco Scholarship is available to current and prospective college students. To be considered, you must submit a 700 – to 1000 – word essay on the following topic: “How has your family contributed to who you are today?”

Learn more about the Feldco Scholarship.

Immigration Scholarship Essay Contest

Deadline: 7/01/2018Available to: High School Seniors through Graduate Students, Year 5Award Amount: $1,500

The Immigration Scholarship Essay Contest is open to U.S. citizens attending or planning to attend an accredited college or university. You must submit an essay of between 800 and 1000 words on one of the five topics related to immigration listed on the sponsor’s website in order to qualify for this award.

Learn more about the Immigration Scholarship Essay Contest.

Love Your Career Scholarship

The Love Your Career Scholarship is available to students attending an accredited college or university. You must submit an essay of at least 1,000 words describing at least three steps that you plan to take in the next year to start a path towards having a career that you love in order to qualify for this award. Topics may include: What are your passions that could be turned into a career? What are some ideas you have for a business based on things that you love and are skilled at? You must also interview a professional in your chosen field that has at least three years of experience.

Learn more about the Love Your Career Scholarship.

MajGen Harold W. Chase Prize Essay Contest

Deadline: VariesAvailable to: College Freshmen through College SeniorsAward Amount: $3,000

Sponsored by the Marine Corps Gazette, the MajGen Harold W. Chase Prize Essay Contest is open to all Marines on active duty and to members of the Selected Marine Corps Reserve.

The contest honors the essay that proposes and argues for a new and better way of “doing business” in the Marine Corps.

Mary Grant Charles Prize Scholarship

Deadline: VariesAvailable to: College Freshmen through College SeniorsAward Amount: Varies

The Mary Grant Charles Prize Scholarship is open to undergraduate students at Tufts University.

You must possess the same creative qualities in the writing of prose and poetry to qualify for this award.

Preference is given to students whose writing reflects an interest in ancestry and genealogy.

Get more information on the Mary Grant Charles Prize Scholarship.

Need Money to Pay for College?

Every semester, Fastweb helps thousands of students pay for school by matching them to scholarships, grants, and internships, for which they actually qualify. You'll find high value scholarships like VIP Voice's $5,000 Scholarship, and easy to enter scholarships like Niche $2,000 No Essay Scholarship, and internships with companies like Apple, Google, Dreamworks, and even NASA!

Join today to get matched to scholarships or internships for you!

It’s never been easier to apply for KU scholarships. To be automatically considered for new freshman scholarships, submit a complete application by Nov. 1. No essays or resumes are required. Apply now

A complete application includes:

Admission application and $40 fee (unless you qualify for a fee grant)

After you graduate, have an official copy of your final high school transcript and official ACT/SAT scores sent to the Office of Admissions. We must have these official documents on file by July 1 to confirm your scholarship status. If, based on a review of final, official documents, students no longer meet the scholarship criteria, we will rescind the scholarship offer.

Transfer scholarships

Submit a complete application by Feb. 1

Be a domestic transfer student enrolling for the summer or fall semester

Have earned at least 36 college credit hours by the Feb. 1 application deadline with at least a 3.5 college GPA

Be transferring from a two-year institution (community college or a combination of four-year and community college, but if you have earned credit from only a four-year institution, you will not be considered for any transfer scholarships)

Have not, or will not have, earned a bachelor’s degree by the time you enroll at KU

Have not previously attended KU as a degree-seeking student

To be eligible for the one-time Phi Theta Kappa scholarship, you must have your PTK counselor submit the membership form by July 1.

Apply now»

Scholarship renewal criteria

Freshman scholarships will expire after four years of undergraduate study or graduation, whichever occurs first.

Transfer scholarships will expire after three years of undergraduate study.

Scholarship recipients who are admitted on or after summer/fall 2013 must successfully complete a minimum of 30 KU hours each academic year (fall, spring, summer) and maintain at least a 3.25 cumulative KU GPA.

After spring grades have posted, our office will verify that students have met the renewable criteria. Students are notified of their scholarship status for the upcoming academic year via their registered KU email address.

If your scholarship is not renewed after year one because of grades and/or hours, it is possible to earn the scholarship after a future term or academic year.

We will monitor your grades and hours, and will notify you if you have achieved the renewal criteria

When will I learn of the scholarship I have been offered?

Freshmen and transfer applicants who have met the scholarship-awarding criteria will receive written notification of the scholarship within 7 to 10 days of being admitted to the University of Kansas. If you do not receive written notification within this time frame, please contact Financial Aid & Scholarships at 785-864-4700 or financialaid@ku.edu.

Will I need to submit an essay or co-curricular summary for scholarship consideration?

No. Essays and co-curricular summaries are not required for KU renewable scholarship consideration. However, individual school and department scholarship procedures may vary; be sure to search departmental scholarships to review the requirements.

Is my weighted or unweighted GPA used?

We will use the overall GPA on a 4.0 scale that most benefits you at the time you apply.

What if my grades or scores improve? Can I get a better scholarship?

Yes. If your overall GPA improves after your seventh semester, or if your ACT/SAT score has improved with either the December ACT or SAT, simply update your application by Feb 1.

What is the last ACT/SAT score used for scholarship re-consideration?

December. To use your December ACT/SAT scores, you must have submitted a complete admission application by the Nov. 1 deadline. Updated scores must be received by Feb. 1 to be considered.

Will KU super score my ACT or SAT scores?

KU does not super score ACT or SAT scores. Admission and scholarship decisions are based on the score you received from the test agency. KU will not mix and match sub-scores to create a new ACT/SAT score.

Does KU use the ACT Plus Writing Test Score for scholarship consideration?

KU uses only the verbal and math sub-scores for admission and scholarship decisions.

What happens to the nonresident scholarship if I receive residency rates or a non-resident tuition waiver?

As with all nonresident scholarships, a change in residency or a change to resident tuition rates may impact your eligibility for this scholarship.

Is it possible to defer my FAS Scholarship

If you’re an incoming freshman or transfer student who is offered a scholarship for the fall, you can defer your scholarship as long as you do not attend another college, university, or community college during this deferment year. Defer your FAS scholarship.

If you are current FAS scholarship recipient, please email us at financialaid@ku.edu to discuss scholarship deferral.

Private scholarships

The time and energy you spend conducting a successful scholarship search can be well worth the effort if you are awarded a scholarship to help fund your higher education.

Start looking for scholarships early, and prioritize. Scholarship deadlines vary, so plan your application efforts by the due date to meet deadlines.

To ensure the best application possible, reserve a block of time to work on scholarship applications regularly, and stick to it. Be sure to apply for scholarships that inspire you, because the applications will feel less like work. You’ll also want to be sure to write tailored essays for each scholarship; avoid copying and pasting without careful revisions.

Finally, if a letter of recommendation is required, brief your reference on the scholarship and provide him/her with a copy of your application and your resume. Give your reference at least two weeks to write the letter for you.

The best ways to find scholarships:

Use our Scholarship Search to find scholarships for which you may be eligible

Talk with your high school counselor, faculty, academic advisors, and financial aid counselors for ideas

Ask your/your parents’ employers or organizations with which you/they are affiliated

Search fastweb.com for national scholarships

WARNING: The following could be signs of a scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

You are required to pay money to receive a scholarship (Note: The State of Kansas Student Aid Application requires a small application fee)

You are advised you have been selected for a scholarship for which you did not submit an application

More information on scholarship scams

FAQs

What are outside/private scholarships?

Any scholarship that is not awarded from KU is considered an outside/private scholarship.

Can my scholarships affect my eligibility for financial aid?

In some cases, yes, they may. It is your responsibility to report all scholarships/fellowships/sponsorships to the Financial Aid & Scholarships (FAS) office. We encourage you to report early to avoid repaying financial aid at a later date.

How do I report outside/private scholarships?

You may report these scholarships in Enroll Pay (Student Center>Accept/Decline Awards, Page 2) or by using the scholarship reporting form.

How will I receive my outside/private scholarships?

The donor may provide you with a check or send a check to KU. Please encourage donors to send scholarship checks directly to the Financial Aid & Scholarships office. If we receive outside scholarship funds and the check does not require your signature, the funds will be applied to your KU account within three to five business days. You’ll be notified if a check requires endorsement.

Where should I send my outside/private scholarship check if it is provided directly to me?

Please submit outside/private scholarship checks to our office. Please attach the check(s) to a statement indicating the scholarship name, amount, and term (fall/spring/summer) as well as your first and last name initials, KU ID number, and phone number. If the check is made out to you — or to you and KU — please endorse the check before mailing.

Will the outside/private scholarship be applied to my eBill?

Outside/private scholarships that have been received and processed by us will be applied to your eBill. These scholarships will be listed on the eBill as “Outside School/SFA Payment,” and the amount will be subtracted from the amount owed. Sometimes donors do not send the funds to our office until after the fee payment due date. If the check will not be processed by the due date, you will need to select another payment option to avoid late payment fees.

Awards will be determined based upon our scholarship grid and your official college transcripts. To be eligible for a transfer student scholarship, you must: